Lower front discharge gate roll of large round baler equipped with centrally located spiral members for controlling rogue crop carried by belts supported by roll

ABSTRACT

A large round baler is equipped with a net wrapping mechanism for wrapping a bale with net material that is wider that the width of the baling chamber so that the net material extends over the opposite ends of the bale. The baler has a baling chamber defined in part by a plurality of bale-forming belts mounted in side-by-side relationship on a plurality of belt support rolls extending between opposite sidewalls of the baling chamber. The net material is fed beneath the discharge gate of the baler to a crop inlet located between a lower front belt support roll carried by the discharge gate, the net being carried into the baling chamber by a fore-and-aft runs of the belts that extend between a lower rear and the lower front belt support roll, and carry the net along a guide surface defined by a plurality of channel members respectively located beneath the fore-and-aft runs of the belts. In order to ensure that the net material arrives at the baling chamber at width greater than that of the baling chamber, spiral rings are mounted at opposite ends of the lower rear belt support roll and spreader rings are mounted at the opposite ends of the lower front belt support rolls, the spiral rings being located outboard relative to the spreader rings, with a major portion of the spreader rings being located outboard of the opposite sidewalls of the baling chamber. In order to keep rogue or stray crop stems from interfering with the net material so as to prevent it from being spread to its full length and fed, shielding is provided inside the baling chamber at a location above the lower rear roll. Wrap around shields are provided to shield the spreader rings from crop that is delivered into the baling chamber and various other structures are provided for preventing the accumulation of rogue or stray crop in the vicinity of the spreader rings and other areas in the path of net travel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to devices for wrapping netmaterial around large round bales located in a baling chamber and morespecifically relates to structure for keeping net wrap material at itsdimension wider than the baling chamber so that the net material becomeswrapped over outer, opposite end segments of the ends of the bale.

[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,504, issued on Dec. 28, 1999 relates to awrapping device of the above-mentioned type. While this patentacknowledges the importance of having the net material spread to itsfull width at the point of its feeding into the crop inlet of the balingchamber, it is somewhat lacking in that regard. Also, operation of abaler constructed in accordance with the patented structure has revealedshortcomings in its construction which permit crop materials to directlyinterfere or to accumulate and then interfere with the spreading andfeeding operations of the net. It has even been found that in someinstances the interfering crop materials will cause rips or tears in thenet wrap material. This interference can take place at any point alongthe entire feed path for the net material extending beneath the balerdischarge gate and into the crop inlet, but particularly in the vicinityof the lower rear and lower front belt support rolls of the dischargegate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] According to the present invention, there is provided a netmaterial delivery structure which represent an improvement over thestructure disclosed in the above-identified patent.

[0004] An object of the invention is to provide a net wrap feedingassembly which is capable, in a variety of crop conditions, ofeffectively feeding net material, at a width greater than that of thebaler chamber, into the crop inlet of a large round baler so that a balelocated there will be wrapped with the net extending over opposite endsegments of the bale.

[0005] A more specific object of the invention is to provide a net wrapfeeding assembly which includes various components which cooperate tokeep incoming crop flow as well as stray or rogue crop material frominterfering with the spreading and delivery of the net material to thebaling chamber.

[0006] Another object of the invention is to provide aggressive netspreader spiral rings, on the opposite ends of the lower rear dischargegate roll, which spread the net wrap material to its full width and thusact to place the wrap material in a more suitable disposition for beingengaged a spread by aggressive wrap material spreader rings, on the endsof the lower front belt support roll of the discharge gate.

[0007] Another object of the invention is to provide the opposite endsof the lower front discharge gate roll with aggressive spreader ringswhich not only spread the net to a width greater than the width of thebaling chamber but also act to wipe crop out of the vicinity of the ringso as to prevent accumulation of the crop with its attendant disruptionof the feeding of the net into the baling chamber.

[0008] Yet another object of the invention is to provide wrap aroundshields which protect the spreader rings at the opposites ends of thelower front discharge gate roll from incoming crop flow as well as fromrogue or stray crop which may accumulate on baler frame members while atthe same time providing an open rear area for crop to be expelled byoperation of a wiper carried by the spreader ring, and additionally fordefining an open path for net wrap material to enter and go around theshielded area of the spreader rings.

[0009] Still another object of the invention is to provide a rollscraper, at the back side of the lower front gate roll, which acts todeflect stray or rogue pieces of crop away from the spreader rings atthe opposite ends of the gate roll.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide the lower frontgate roll with spiral strips that act to increase the aggressivenessbetween the roll and the belts so that crop is carried through the niparea, chop crop when it engages the roll scraper, auger rogue or straypieces of crop inwardly away from the spreader rings at the oppositeends of the roll, and to lift and shake the bale forming belts so thatstray or rogue crop pieces carried by the belts will fall between thebelts.

[0011] A further object of the invention is to provide belt guidewashers on the net material guide pan structure in the vicinity of thenip between the belts and the lower front discharge gate roll so thatthe net wrap material can pass over the tops of the guide washerswithout being inhibited from being spread by the spreader rings providedat the opposite ends of the lower front roll.

[0012] These and other objects will become apparent from a reading ofthe ensuing description together with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a right side elevational view of a large round balerequipped with a net wrapping assembly of the type with which the presentinvention is particularly adapted for use.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a right side elevational view showing an enlargement ofthat portion FIG. 1 including the lower portion of the discharge gateand the net wrap material feed structure extending beneath the gate, butwith some parts omitted for clarity.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic bottom view showing therelationship between the right-hand spiral ring and the right-handspreader ring.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the right-hand spiral ring.

[0017]FIG. 5 is a left end view of the spiral ring shown in FIG. 4.

[0018]FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the shield for preventingrogue or stray crop from passing sideways into the vicinity of thespiral ring.

[0019]FIG. 7 is a somewhat schematic right rear perspective view of aright, lower front portion of the discharge gate with parts broken awayfor showing how the net wrap material is supported and guided into thebaling chamber.

[0020]FIG. 8 is a right side elevational view of the lower front portionof a bale discharge gate, with parts broken away, showing the right-handnet wrap material spreader ring and the associated shield for keepingcrop from being picked up by the spreader ring, and showing the rollscraper and belt guides.

[0021]FIG. 9 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of thestructure shown in FIG. 8.

[0022]FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 10-10 ofFIG. 8 showing the bale-forming belts, the support for the belts and thebelt guides.

[0023]FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of the right-hand spreaderring.

[0024]FIG. 12 is a right side elevational view of the right-handspreader ring.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0025] Initially, it is to be noted that various components aredescribed as existing in pairs while only one of each pair is shown andit is to be understood that the absent component is the same as, orsimilar in construction to, or the mirror image of, the one shown.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a baler 10 of the typefor making large cylindrical bales and commonly called a large roundbaler. The baler 10 comprises a main frame 12 supported on a pair ofground wheels 14, of which only the left-hand ground wheel is shown. Adraft tongue 16, which is adapted for being connected to a tractor, issecured to the main frame 12. A pair of transversely spaced verticalsidewalls 18 are joined to the frame 12 and have respective upright rearends. A bale discharge gate 20 including opposite sidewalls 22 isvertically pivotally attached, as at 24, to upper rear locations of thesidewalls 18, the sidewalls 22 having forward ends which abut againstthe rearward ends of the sidewalls 18 when the gate 20 is in a loweredclosed position as shown.

[0027] The pairs of sidewalls 18 and 22 rotatably support the oppositeends of a plurality of bale-forming belt support rolls adjacent theperiphery of the sidewalls. Specifically, beginning at a lower centrallocation of the sidewalls 18 and proceeding counterclockwise, there aremounted a driven roll 26, a lower front roll 28, an intermediate frontroll 30, an upper front roll 32, and an upper rear roll 34; andcontinuing counterclockwise from an upper rear location, of the gatesidewalls 22 there is mounted an upper rear roll 36, a lower rear roll38 and a lower front roll 40. Located between the pairs of sidewalls 18and 22 and supported in side-by-side relationship to one another acrossthe various belt support rolls are a plurality of endless bale-formingbelts 42. Except for some of the belts 42 which skip the lower frontroll 28, the belts are trained so that they serially engage the rolls26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 38, 40 and 34. A front run 44 of the belts 42extends upwardly from the driven roll 26 to the roll 34. Similarly, arear run 46 of the belts 42 extends upwardly from the lower front gateroll 40 to the roll 34. Mounted between rear end locations of a pair ofrearwardly extending tensioning arms 48, which are vertically pivotallymounted, as at 50, to a mid-height location at the front of thesidewalls 18, are closely spaced, front and rear idler rolls 52 and 54,with the belt runs 44 and 46 cooperating with the sidewalls 18 and 22 todefine an expansible baling or bale-forming chamber 56, closed at itstop by the idler rolls 52 and 54, and here shown in a state ofconsiderable expansion and containing a bale 58. When the chamber 56 isempty, the front and rear runs 44 and 46 of the belts 42 respectivelyconverge upwardly from the drive roll 26 and lower front gate roll 40and pass closely to each other between the rolls 52 and 54, with the run44 contacting a rear surface of the front roll 52 and with the run 46contacting a forward surface of the rear roll 54, the chamber 56 thusbeing wedge-shaped as viewed from the side. The bottom of the chamber 56is provided with a crop inlet 60 extending between the driven roll 26and the lower front gate roll 40. Crop products are introduced into theinlet 60 by a pickup 62 for being rolled into a bale, such as the bale58 by the action of the front and rear runs 44 and 46 of the belts 42,which are respectively driven so as to travel toward and away from theinlet, and initially also by a starter roll 64 rotatably mounted in thesidewalls 18 adjacent to, and being driven in the same direction as, thedriven roll 26 so that it operates to strip crop being carrieddownwardly by the front run of belts 44. As the bale 58 is being formed,the chamber 56 yieldably expands, to a predetermined size as shown,against the force established in the belts by a tensioning systemincluding the pair of tensioning arms 48 together with a pair oftensioning springs (not shown) and a pair of hydraulic cylinders (notshown) coupled between the walls 18 and the arms 48 for resisting upwardmovement of the arms, in a manner well known in the art. A pair of gatecylinders 66 are provided for swinging the gate 20 upwardly, about thepivotal attachment 24, to an open position when it is desired todischarge the bale 58 onto the ground.

[0028] Mounted to the lower rear portion of the discharge gate 20 is anet wrap dispensing mechanism 70 in which is loaded a net materialsupply roll 72 which is located directly on a driven upper net materialfeed roll 74 that is located above and rearwardly of the axis ofrotation of a lower feed roll 76. A length of wrap material 78 extendsfrom the front surface of the net material supply roll 72, between thesupply roll 72 and the net material feed roll 74 and then forwardlythrough a nip or bite defined by the upper and lower feed rolls 74 and76, respectively. When a bale is being wrapped, as indicated in FIG. 1,the length of wrap material 78 extends on into the inlet 60 of thebaling chamber 56 by way of a nip 80, defined by a pan 82 and the belts42 where the latter pass about the lower rear belt support roll 38.

[0029] Referring now also to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the pan 82forms part of a net material guide assembly 84 positioned beneath thedischarge gate 20 and further comprising a support frame including apair of fore-and-aft extending members 86 (FIG. 10) having their rearends respectively fixed adjacent opposite ends of a cylindrical rearcross member 88 and converging forwardly to transversely spacedlocations where they are connected to a middle portion of a cylindricalfront cross member 90. A pair of straps 92 are respectively fixed toopposite ends of the rear cross member 88 and are secured, as by bolts94, to the opposite sides of the housing of the dispensing mechanism 70.Similarly, a pair of straps 96 are respectively fixed to opposite endsof the front cross member 90 and secured, as by bolts 98, to respectiveplates 100 that are welded to outer lower portions of posts 102 formingforward stiffening members of the opposite sidewalls 22. A plurality oflongitudinally extending, transversely spaced, downwardly openingchannel members 104 are respectively located one each under each of runs105 of the belts 42 (see FIG. 10), which extend fore-and-aft between therolls 38 and 40, with a forward section of each of the members 104 beingjoined to and extending forwardly beyond the front cross member 90 torespective locations beneath the lower front gate roll 40, and with arear end of each of each of the members 104 being joined to a forwardside of a transverse, downwardly opening channel member 106 locateddirectly beneath the lower rear gate roll 38. An upwardly bowed leafspring 108 bridges, and has opposite ends engaged with, the pair offore-and-aft extending members 86, with a central portion of the leafspring 108 being coupled to a central location of the channel member106, in a manner not shown. It is noted that the pan 82 is secured tothe top of the channel member 106 and to the rear ends of the channelmembers 104 as well, and that the leaf spring 108 functions to urge thepan 82 against the belts 42 in the vicinity of the belt support roll 38so that a free end of the length of net 78 is easily caught at theinitiation of the wrapping procedure.

[0030] Thus, it can be seen that after passing through the nip 80, thelength of net material 78 is supported on the upper flat surfaces of thelongitudinal channels 104 beneath the longitudinal runs 105 of the belts42. In fact, the belt runs 105 act to carry the length of net material78 around the roll 40 and into the baling chamber 56 where it becomeswrapped about the bale 58 which, during wrapping operation, is beingrotated clockwise within the chamber 56 by the movement of the belt runs44 and 46.

[0031] The net material supply roll 72 is longer than the baling chamber56 is wide, that is to say, the length of the roll 72 is greater thanthe distance between the sidewalls 18 or 22 of the baling chamber 56. Itis desirable to have the length of net material 78 at its full widthwhen it enters the baling chamber 56 so that outer marginal portions ofthe net becomes folded over the opposite ends of the bale 58, as shownat 109 in FIG. 1, and to this end the opposite ends of each of the beltsupport rolls 38 and 40 are respectively defined by net spreadingdevices, with only the right-hand device of each roll being shown. Theleft-hand spreading devices are mirror images of the right-handspreading devices. Further, it is to be noted that the sidewalls 22 ofthe discharge gate each have a lower, fore-and-aft extending edge thatis above the upper surfaces of the channels 104 so as to permit thelength of net material 78 to be spread outwardly beyond the bottom edgesof the sidewalls 22.

[0032] With reference now also to FIGS. 3 through 5, it can be seen thatthe spreading devices defining opposite ends of the lower rear gate roll38 are in the form of spiral rings 110, and that the spreading devicesdefining opposite ends of the lower front roll 40 are in the form ofspreader rings 112. The spiral rings 110 include a cylindrical sleeve113 received on opposite ends of a central cylindrical core 114 of theroll 38 and secured in place by set screws or the like (not shown)received in threaded holes provided in the sleeve 113. Each sleeve 113includes a chamfered inner end 115 having a section that is angledoutwardly at an angle of approximately 10° from a vertical planeintersecting the rotational axis of the spreader ring 110 at a rightangle so as to define a lead-in surface 116. The lead-in surface 116blends into and forms an outer side of a generally v-shaped notch 117that gradually becomes shallower so that its outer end is at the outerdiameter of the sleeve 113. The inside end of the sleeve 113 includes aportion that diverges from, and parallels a portion of the lead-insection 116, where the latter blends into one side of the notch 117, thediverging portion of sleeve forming a leading end or nose 118 of aspiral rib 120, the nose having a surface which blends into a secondside of the notch 117. The spiral rib 120 is of a hand for engaginglongitudinal strands of the adjacent side portion of the length and wrapmaterial 78 and moving the side portion outwardly beneath the dischargegate sidewalls 22. It is noted that the nose 118 begins at the insidediameter of the sleeve 113, at a location inwardly of a major portion ofthe inner end of the sleeve, and, within an angular distance of about90°, rises to the full height of the rib 120 which continues constantover the remainder of the length of the sleeve. Thus, the nose orleading end 118 of the rib 120 starts at the outer diameter of thecylindrical roll core 114 so as to effectively lift longitudinal strandsof the net material 78 from the surface of the roll core 114 andinitiate outward movement of the adjacent side portion of the length ofnet material 78. Importantly, the surface speed of the spiral ring 110is greater than the linear speed of the length of net material 78 sothat the spiral rib 120 aggressively engages and moves the longitudinalnet strands outwardly. While the particular spiral ring 110 describedabove does an excellent job of spreading the length of net materialoutwardly, other shapes could be used as long as they provide aggressivepick-up and outward feeding of the net material.

[0033] The spiral rings 110 are outside the opposite sidewalls 22 andrespective clearance gaps exists between the net pan 82 and thesidewalls 22 which permits rogue or stray crop stems, especially longstems from crops such as corn or cane, which have passed from the balingchamber 56 through gaps between the belt runs 46 into the void betweenthe belt runs 46 and those runs of the belts 42 that extend about theperiphery of the gate 20, to find their way outwardly through gaps oropenings communicating this void with the area adjacent the spiral rings110 and of the net guide pan 82 such as to interfere with the net path.Such interference has been found to cause the net to sometimes becometorn or split and/or to block the net from spreading to full widthresulting in the net not extending over the ends of the wrapped bale. Inorder to keep long stems of this rogue or stray crop from feeding outsideways between the outermost runs of the belts in the vicinity of thespreader spiral rings 110, shield structures 122 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) areangled across the lower rear corners of the discharge gate 20, with onlythe structure at the right-hand side of the gate 20 being shown.Specifically, each shield structure 122 includes a support 124 in theform of a length of angle iron oriented at an angle of approximatelyforty-five degrees to horizontal at a location above the roll 38 andhaving one leg secured against, and a second leg extending perpendicularto, the sidewall 22. A flexible shield 126, preferably constructed of aflat, rectangular piece of smooth surface belting, is bolted orotherwise secured to the second leg of the angle member 124 such that aright-hand edge of the shield 126 is engaged with the sidewall 22, arear end portion is curved upwardly from the angle member and inengagement with an upright run 128 (FIG. 1) of the right-hand belt 42,and a front end portion is curved upwardly from the angle member and inengagement with a filler plate 130, a portion of which also appears inFIG. 7, fixed to the bottom of the sidewall 22 and extending outwardlyabove, and in sealing engagement with, the longitudinal run 105 of theright-hand belt 42 so as to close a gap 132 defined between the belt run105 and the sidewall 22. Thus, any stray or rogue pieces of crop thatare carried downwardly towards the right-hand spiral ring 110 by theupright run 128 of the right-hand belt 42 are intercepted by the shield126 and guided past the spiral ring 110 where they are deposited on thebelt run 105 and/or the filler plate 130, the latter also functioning toprevent rogue or stray crop stems from interfering with the feeding ofthe length of net wrap material 78. It is here noted that instead of thetwo shields 126, a single flexible shield could be used which extendsbetween and is connected to the supports 124. The filler plates 130 alsoserve to block any air currents, existing between the sidewalls 22, frominterfering with the feeding of the length of net wrap material 78. Theinner edge of each filler plate 130 is rolled back as at 132 so as topresent a rounded edge to the belt run 105 so as to not to damage thebelt 42 in the event that the belt fails to track properly and comesinto contact with the filler plate inner edge. The filler plates 130 areeach provided with upwardly inclined rear and front end portions 134 and136, respectively, which ensure that the run of belts 105 do not comeinto contact with end edges of the filler plates 130.

[0034] Referring now back to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the spiral ring110 is offset a distance d outwardly of the spreader ring 112. Thiscreates a favorable lead-in angle which permits longitudinal strands ofthe length of net material 78 to be engaged and moved outwardly by thespreader ring 112, as is explained in more detail below.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 7-9, it can be seen that the front gate roll40 includes a main cylindrical body 138 having opposite end portionsthat respectively extend beneath the opposite sidewalls 22, the bodycontaining bearings 140, in its opposite ends, having respective innerraces secured to a fixed hexagonal through-shaft 142 having its oppositeends tapped and threaded and held in place by respective bolts 144 (FIG.2) extending through the vertical side plates 100 that form part ofsupport structure fixed to the sidewalls 22. Mounted on the cylindricalroll body 138 so as to respectively extend beneath the rightandleft-hand gate sidewalls 22 are the right- and left-hand net wrapmaterial spreader rings 112, with only the right-hand spreader ringbeing shown. It is to be understood that the left-hand spreader ring isa mirror image of the right-hand spreader ring 112. The spreader ring112 has an inside diameter close to the outer diameter of the roll body138 with the spreader ring being held in place by tightening a pair ofsets screws 146 (FIG. 8) received in threaded holes 148 (FIGS. 11 and12) extending radially through the spreader ring 112.

[0036] Respectively mounted to lower inside locations of the right- andleft-hand sidewalls 22 are right-and left-hand guide plates of whichonly the right-hand guide plate 150 is shown, with it to be understoodthat the left-hand guide plate is a mirror image of the guide plate 150.The guide plate 150 includes a lower forward guard portion 152 which iscurved about and disposed in spaced relationship to a portion of thespreader ring 112 that is inward of the gate sidewall 22 so as define anannular passage for the length of net material 78 from which incomingcrop material is blocked by the guard portion 152. The guide plate 150includes a generally triangular relief area defined by a step 154 thatextends inwardly from an outer surface of, and is inclined to the rearend of, the guide plate 150 from a location near the eleven o'clockposition of the roll 40. This relief area cooperates with the balersidewall 22 to define a passage through which the marginal edge portionsof the length of net material 78 pass as the net material is pulled intothe baling chamber 56 during wrapping of a bale 58.

[0037] The vertical support plates 100, from which the opposite ends ofthe roll 40 are supported, each have an upright forward edge extendingdownwardly from the bottom of the support post 102 so as to be justforward of the roll 40, the upright portion, at approximately the threeo'clock position of the roll, blending into an arcuate section whichcontinues at a fixed radius about the axis of the roll to about theseven o'clock position of the roll where it straightens and goesrearwardly a short distance, this radius being slightly greater than theradius of the spreader ring 112 of the roll 40. A wrap-around shield156, which is formed from a J-shaped strap, is disposed for cooperatingwith the guard portion 152 of the guide plate 150 to block crop materialdelivered by the pickup 62 from coming into contact with the portion ofthe spreader ring 112 which is outward of the sidewall 22. To that end,an inner edge of the stem of the J is engaged with an outer surface ofthe guard portion 152, with an outer margin of the stem overlapping theupright edge of the support plate 100. The hook of the J is formed at aradius such that it fits close about the radiused edge of the supportplate 100 and is thus spaced from the spreader ring 112 so as to definean annular space or gap 158 to permit passage of the length of netmaterial 78. This gap 158 is preferably dimensioned so that there is aclearance of approximately 3-6 mm between the outside diameter of theassociated spreader ring 112 and the shield 156. The rear end of theshield 156 is angled downwardly, as at 160, to permit a smooth entry ofthe length of net material 78 into the gap 158. For holding each of thewrap-around shields 156 in place, a mounting tab 162 is located insidean upper forward location of a respective support plate 100 and iswelded there and also to the bottom of the sidewall post 102. A pair ofunshaped, sheet metal clip-nuts 164 are received over the bottom edge ofthe tab 162 and are respectively aligned with a pair of transverselyspaced holes provided in the tab. The upper end of the shield 156 isprovided with a similarly spaced pair of holes and a pair of screws 166are received in the aligned holes and screwed into the clip-nuts 164 soas to secure the shield 156 in place.

[0038] To prevent rogue crop, i.e., short pieces of stems and the like,from accumulating in the partially enclosed zone about the end of theroll 40 and interfering with the feeding of the length of net material78 into the baling chamber 56, an axially projecting wiper 168 has itsinner edge welded the outer face of the spreader ring 112. The wiper 112will sweep through the outer portion of the annular space 158 and forceany crop pieces located there out over the rear end 160 of the shield156.

[0039] Crop pieces that do not escape from the enclosed volume betweenthe runs of belts 46 and 105, during the time that bales are beingformed, i.e., between wrapping operations, are carried by the belts runs105 to the lower front roll 40. To aid in removing these pieces of cropso that they do not accumulate and cause net feeding problems, thesurface of the core 138 of the roll 40 extending between the sidewalls22 is provided with right- and left-hand spiral strips 170 that areinclined to the axis of the roll 40 such as to cause engaged pieces ofcrop to be moved away from the spreader rings 112. The outer ends of thespiral strips 170 are respectively engaged flush against a planer innersurface portion of the spreader rings 112, as is described in moredetail below, this engagement ensuring that the net material will not besnagged by the outer ends of the strips. Furthermore, the spiral strips170 tend to cause the belt runs 105 to shake causing the crop pieces tomigrate one way or the other towards the gaps defined between adjacentbelts. The pieces of crop that are carried about the roll 40 are broughtinto engagement with a leading end of a stripper or scraper 172, that isdefined by an angle member extending lengthwise in parallel relationshipto the roll 40 and having its opposite ends, respectively secured totabs 174 welded to inside surface locations of the opposite side plates100. The stripper 172 has a first leg 176 angled upwardly and forwardlyat an angle of from 40-50° at a location just behind the roll 40, withthe leg 176 terminating between the nine and ten o'clock positions ofthe roll at a radius from the center of the roll which is just largerthan that traced by an outer periphery of the spiral strips 170. Asecond leg 178 of the scraper 172 is angled downwardly and forwardly atan angle of from 25-35° from the horizontal and terminates at distancefrom the center of the roll 40 which is somewhat greater than that ofterminal end of the leg 176. The spiral strips 170 and the stripper leg176 cooperate to reduce the size of rogue or stray pieces of crop which,when stripped from the roll 40, will slide down the upper surface of theleg 176 and hopefully out through the gaps between the belt runs 105.Any crop pieces which pass beneath the leg 176 will hopefully also passthrough the gaps between the belt runs 105, but if these pieces andthose stripped by the stripper 172 do not fall through the belt gaps,they will be recirculated about the roll 140 where they will once againbe reduced in size by the action of the spiral strips 170 and thestripper leg 176.

[0040] Welded to and projecting downwardly from transversely spacedlocations along the bottom of the second leg 178 of the stripper 172 area plurality of generally parallelogram-shaped, flat, center belt guides180. As can be seen in FIG. 10, these belt guides 180 are respectivelylocated in the gaps between all adjacent pairs of the belt runs 105,except for the outer pair of belt runs 105 at each of the opposite sidesof the discharge gate 20. Although respective lower surfaces of the beltguides 180 are shown positioned below the belt runs 105, this is theresult of the belt runs 105 being shown thinner, and the length of netmaterial 78 being shown thicker than they actually are in order for thelength of net material 78 and its path about the roll 40 to bediscernable. In actuality, the bottoms of the center guides 180terminate approximately 2 mm above the bottoms of the belt runs 105 soas not to impede the passage of the length of net material 78 to the nipformed between the belts 42 and the roll 40. Furthermore, the bottoms ofthe guides 180 are spaced above the cross member 90 of the net wrapmaterial guide or support 84 by a distance sufficiently less than thethickness of the belt runs 105 such that the latter are prevented fromdeflecting beneath the guides 180.

[0041] Provided for keeping the outer pair of belt runs 105, at each ofthe opposite sides of the discharge gate 20, from moving sideways intothe spreader rings 112 are a pair of washer-like outer belt guides 182that are received about, and fixed to, the cylindrical cross member 90of the net wrap material guide or support structure 84. The outer pairof belt guides 182 are respectively located inboard of innermostportions of the spreader rings 112. The outer belt guides 182respectively extend upwardly between the sidewalls 22 and the outersides of the outer belt runs 105 and terminate approximately 2 mm belowthe upper surface of the belt runs 105. The reason for using outer beltguides which project upwardly instead of downwardly beside the belts isbecause tension in the net causes the net strands to be pulled upagainst the roll between the outer edge of the outside belt run 105 andthe adjacent spreader ring 112 and a downwardly projecting belt guide atthe outside of the belt run 105 would act as a wall to keep the netmaterial from reaching the spreader rings 112. However, because theouter belt guides 182 project upwardly between the outer belt runs 105and the sidewalls 22, the net naturally moves over the top of the guides182, allowing the net material to be engaged and spread by the spreaderrings 112. It is to be noted that the upper surface of the belt guides182 are respectively spaced below the lower surfaces of the fillerstrips 130 by amount less than the thickness of the belt run 105 so thatthe latter is blocked from moving outwardly over the belt guides 182 andinto interference with the spreader rings 112.

[0042] Referring now also to FIGS. 11 and 12, it can be seen that theexterior surface or outer periphery of the spreader ring 112 includes aconstant diameter section 184 which, excluding the wiper 160, has amajor width constituting approximately one third of the axial width ofthe spreader ring 112, with the remaining two-thirds of the axial widthof the spreader ring being in the form of a conical section 186 havingits large end joined to the outer axial end of the constant diametersection 184. The conical section 186 preferably makes an angle of about22½° with an axial line at the periphery of the constant diametersection 184, with angles in the range of about 15-30 ° also beingfunctional. Located at diametrically opposite locations of the spreaderring 112 are wedge-shaped net feed notches or grooves 188, each of whichincludes first and second converging sides 190 and 192 respectively,which meet to define an included angle of 700 (not shown), with anglesin the range of about 50-90° also being functional. The groove firstside 190 is located in a first plane which preferably makes an includedangle of 30° with a second plane that is located at an inner end of, anddisposed perpendicular to the rotational axis of, the spreader ring 112,with angles in the range of about 10-60° also being functional. Due tothe conical portion 186 of the ring 112, the notches 188 becomeshallower as they extend outwardly and they each terminate about halfway across the axial extent of the conical surface 186 so as to be atthe surface of the conical portion where they meet at their trailingends, with respect to the direction of rotation of the ring 112, thisdirection being clockwise as viewed in FIG. 12. The inner axially facingsurface of the ring 112 is provided with two lead-in surface sections194 which, relative to the direction of rotation of the ring,respectively lead the notches 188. Specifically, each lead-in surfacesection 194 gradually tapers by a distance of 6 mm through an arc of123° from a leading end at location of maximum width of the constantdiameter section 184, to a trailing end of the lead-in surface, whichterminates at a minimum width location of the section 184 at the side192 of the notch 188 at a location along a diameter of the ring 112which leads the leading end of the side 190 by 4.5°. The lengths of thelead-in surfaces 194 could be somewhat shorter or longer and still worksatisfactorily, for example, an arc in the range of about 45°-170° couldbe used. Thus, the longitudinal strands of the stretched length of netmaterial 78 will be led, in this particular case, to a location of thenotch side wall 190 which is 6 mm axially within each of the notches 188so as to be guided thereby over the ramped surface 186.

[0043] Trailing each of the notches 188 of each spreader ring 112 andextending over an arc of approximately 55° is a flat or planar, verticalinnermost surface 195 that is disposed at a right angle to the axis ofrotation of the reader ring 112. The outer end of the adjacent spiralstrip 170 is engaged with one of the surfaces 195 so that no gap existsbetween the spreader rings 112 and spiral strips 170. Another functionof the surfaces 195 of each spreader ring 112 is to act as a belt guidewhich engages the outer side of the adjacent belt run 105 so as to keepthe belt from running into the notches 188.

[0044] It is to be noted that while two notches 188 are shown, a singlenotch, or more than two notches could be used and that angular length ofthe lead-in surface or surfaces to the notch or notches may be otherthan 123° and still function satisfactorily .

[0045] Referring once again to FIG. 3, it will be appreciated thatbecause the spiral rings 110 are located outwardly of the spreader rings112, the feeding of the longitudinal strands of the length of netmaterial 78 into the notches 188 will be enhanced. Because of the rampedpart 186 of the spreader ring 112, the tensioned net will have atendency to remain spread out. So that transverse strands of the netmaterial 78 are not snagged and possibly cut by an edge 194 definedwhere the wall 190 of each notch 188 intersects the inner face of thespreader ring 112, each edge 194 is inclined so as to trail a radialline intersecting an inner end of the edge 194 by about 4.5°, withgreater angles also working satisfactorily.

[0046] Referring now back to FIGS. 7 and 8, it can be seen that a plate196, which is generally triangular in side view, is used to fill an arealocated below the sidewall 22 and rearward of the roll 40. This plate196 includes a triangular guide or deflector portion 198 that is bentoutward from the plane of the sidewall 22, with a forward end of thedeflector portion 198 engaging, or at least being in close spacedrelationship to, the conical surface 186 of the spreader ring 112 at alocation which is near the eleven o'clock position of the roll 40, asviewed in FIG. 8. From its location adjacent the conical surface 186,the forward end of the deflector portion 198 curves downwardly andinwardly about the spreader ring 112. Thus, the deflector portion 198defines an inwardly facing, angled surface which provides a space foraccommodating the outer marginal portions 109 of the length of netmaterial 78, and acts to guide pieces of rogue crop towards the top ofthe inner belt run 105 so as to pass into the nip between the belt runand the roll 40.

[0047] The operation of the baler 10, as concerns the feeding of thelength of net material 78 into the baling chamber 56 is here stated.Assuming that a bale 58 has just been formed in the baling chamber 56and it is desired to wrap the same with net material, the drive to thefeed rolls 74 and 76 of the net wrapping mechanism 70 will be activatedso as to cause the length of net material 78 to be propelled against theupright runs 128 of the belts 42 extending between the upper rear gateroll 36 and the lower rear gate roll 38. These belt runs 128 will carrythe net material 78 downwardly to the nip 80 formed between the guidepan 82 and the belt runs 128 at the roll 38. The net material 78 iswider than the baling chamber 56 and the leading end 120 of the spiralflighting of spiral rings 110 located at the opposite ends of the roll38 will aggressively engage and lift the longitudinal strands of the netmaterial so as to spread the net outwardly to its full width, thisaggressiveness being enhanced by the fact that the surface speed of thespirals is greater than the linear speed of the belt runs 105, andhence, greater than the linear speed of the length of net material 78.The fore-and-aft extending runs 105 of the belts 42 will engage the netmaterial 78 and carry it along the net guide surfaces defined by thetops of the channels 104 of the guide structure 84, the net materialentering the nip formed between the bale-forming belts and the roll 40,in the middle area of the roll 40, and the annular space 158 between thewrap-around shield 156 and the spreader rings 112 at the opposite endsof the roll 40. As the length of net wrap material 78 reaches the top ofthe roll 40, it will be caught between the belts 42 and the bale 58, thelatter having a circumferential speed which is faster than the speed atwhich the material is passing through the feed rolls 74 and 76. Thus,the bale 58 and belts 42 place the net material 78 in tension as it ispulled into the baling chamber 56. This tension will have the effect ofcausing the width of the net material 78 to have a tendency to becomenarrower than the width of the baling chamber 56. Operating inconjunction with the spiral rings 110 so as to ensure that the netmaterial 78 is at a width greater than that of the baling chamber 56just prior to entering the baling chamber are the spreader rings 112.

[0048] Specifically, with reference to the disclosed right-hand spreaderring 112, the right-hand marginal portion of the tensioned length of netmaterial 78 will come into engagement with the notches 188 as the lengthof material passes about the roll 40. The angled sides 190 of thenotches will engage longitudinal strands of the length of net material78 and move them outwardly onto the conical portion 186 of the spreaderring 112, this conical portion acting to retain the strands once placedthere so that the net material 78 is spread to a width greater than thatof the baling chamber 56 before it enters the chamber. The engagement ofthe notches 188 with the longitudinal strands of the net material isaided by the fact that the spiral rings 110 of the lower rear gate roll38 are outward of the spreader rings 112, and also by the lead-insurfaces 114 formed at the inner face of the constant diameter section104 of the spreader rings 112 so that the axial dimension of the section184 gradually diminishes through an arc of approximately 123°. The netretaining or holding function of the conical surface portion 186 will besatisfactorily performed if the surface portion 186 makes an angle of atleast 15° with a line parallel to the axis of the ring 112.

[0049] Once the net material 78 advances just beyond the top of the roll40, the marginal net material portions 109 which extend outwardly beyondthe sidewalls 22 will be drawn into the baling chamber 56 through thechannel defined between that portion of the guide plate 150 below thestep 154 and the sidewalls 22, with the marginal portions then beingplaced over the ends of the bale 58, as shown in FIG. 1

[0050] Various structures serve to prevent rogue or stray pieces of cropfrom interfering with the spreading and feeding of the length of netmaterial 78 as it passes from the lower rear gate roll 38 to the lowerfront gate roll 40 and on into the baling chamber 56. Specifically, theflexible shields 126 that are located inside gate sidewalls 22 andangled above the lower rear gate roll 38 serve to intercept pieces ofcrop carried downwardly by the upright rear run of belts 128, with theintercepted crop pieces sliding down the angled shields 126 to the topsof the filler plates 130. These pieces of intercepted crop are thusprevented from exiting the discharge gate 20 in the vicinity of thespiral rings 110 and, thus, are prevented from interfering with thefeeding and spreading of the net material in those areas. Of specificconcern are large pieces of stems from corn or cane which can cause thenet material to be torn as well as prevented from spreading to its fullwidth.

[0051] The filler plates 130 respectively span the gaps between theopposite sidewalls 22 and the outer belt runs 105 so as to prevent croppieces from exiting the baling chamber along the sidewalls 22 so as tointerfere with the feeding of the net material 78. The filler plates 130also serve to prevent air currents generated by the operation of thebelts 42 from interfering with the passage of the net material. Croppieces that accumulate on the filler plates 130 eventually move inwardlywhere they either fall between the gaps between adjacent belt runs 105,when no net is present, or are carried forwardly into the nip betweenthe belts and the lower front gate roll 40. There, these crop pieces, aswell as any other crop pieces that are brought forwardly by the beltruns 105, are engaged by the spiral strips 170 of the roll 40 andcarried inwardly away from the spreader rings 112 at the ends of thegate roll 40 and about the roll 40 into engagement with the leg 176 ofthe stripper or scraper 172 where the crop pieces are broken intosmaller pieces. These smaller pieces either slide down the outside ofthe stripper leg 176 and away from the roll 40 or down the inside of thestripper leg 178 and toward the roll 40. In either event, the croppieces either pass between the gaps of the belt runs 105 or arerecirculated about the roll 40 where they are once again reduced in sizeby the action of the spiral strips 170 against the end of the stripperleg 176. Significant in aiding the movement of the pieces of crop sothat they fall between the belt runs 105 is the shaking action impartedto the belt runs 105 by the spiral strips 170.

[0052] Also acting to prevent crop material from disturbing the properfeeding of the length of net material are the wrap-around shields 156,which extends forwardly of and wrap about the spreader rings 112 at theopposite ends of the lower gate roll 40. The source of this crop is thatbeing delivered to the baling chamber inlet 60. It is noted that unlessintercepted, crop stems, particularly large hard stems, can get carriedby the spreader ring notches 188 to the guide plates 150 and becomewedged tightly, causing wear and/or heat build-up. This wedged crop alsointerferes with the path of the net material, e.g., it can push the netmaterial inward and prevent the net from going over the end or edge ofthe bale. The net material 78 enters from the rear of the shield 156 andpasses through the gap 158 defined between the shield 156 and the roll40.

[0053] The wiper 168, carried by the spreader ring 112, acts to keep anysmall pieces of crop, which finds its way into the gap, loose and wipedout of the area and thus helps to prevent crop from being packed tightlybetween the spreader ring 112 and the shield 156 and/or guide plate 150.In addition to the wiper 168 acting to keep crop from accumulating inthe vicinity of the spreader ring 112, the angled deflector portion 198of the plate 196 also serves to prevent such accumulation by guidingsmall pieces of crop into the nip point between the gate roll 40 and thebelts baling chamber 56 by way of the net material passage defined bythe guide plate 150 and sidewall 22.

[0054] Contributing to the proper spreading of the length of netmaterial 78 by the spreader rings 112 are the outer belt guides 182which extend upwardly between each outer pair of belt runs 105 so as topermit the net material 78 to take a natural path above the guides 182when the material 78 is tensioned and pulled upwardly as it is beingpulled into the baling chamber by the action of a rotating bale.

[0055] Thus, it will be appreciated that reliable feeding of net wrapmaterial, that is wider than the baling chamber, into the baling chamberin such a way that the net material extends over the opposite ends ofthe bale requires the cooperation of various elements to ensure that thematerial is spread to a width greater than that of the baling chamberprior to it entering the baling chamber, and that pieces of stray orrogue crop are kept from interfering with the spreading and feeding ofthe net material.

1. In a large round baler including a bale-forming chamber havingopposite sidewalls and a transverse opening extending the full width ofsaid chamber between said sidewalls, said bale-forming chamber includinga rotating element having an arcuate profile defining one side of saidopening and including a rotatable roll having opposite ends extendingoutwardly beyond said opposite sidewalls, a net wrapping mechanismadapted for introducing net material, having a width greater than thedistance between said opposite sidewalls, over said roll and throughsaid opening for introduction into a nip defined by a rotating bale justformed in the chamber and said arcuate profile, whereby the net materialwill be carried into said bale-forming chamber, a pair of bale endengaging structures respectively extending inwardly from vertical,planar inner surface portions of said opposite sidewalls in the vicinityof said roll, each bale end engaging structure having a leading and atrailing edge relative to the direction of rotation of a bale in saidchamber, a passage leading from a location outward of a given sidewalladjacent the roll to a location inwardly of the wall adjacent thetrailing edge of the adjacent bale end engaging structure, and a pair ofnet spreader elements being carried by said roll respectively inbridging relationship to said opposite sidewalls, the improvementcomprising: said pair of net spreader elements each including a spreaderring including at least one notch having a first side located forengaging longitudinal strands of outer marginal portions of said netmaterial at or inside said planar inner surface of the adjacent sidewalland angled outwardly for moving these strands outwardly of said innersurface, whereby the net material is spread to a width greater than thatof said bale-forming chamber.
 2. The baler defined in claim 1 whereineach spreader ring is provided with more than one notch with each notchbeing spaced angularly from each other.
 3. The baler defined in claim 1wherein each spreader ring includes an inner constant diameter portionjoined to an outer conical portion, with the diameter of the conicalportion decreasing outwardly; and said at least one notch extendingpartly into a surface area of said conical portion, whereby said notchis adapted for guiding net material outwardly over said conical portion,where, due to tensile forces in the net material, it will remain on theconical portion until pulled into the bale-forming chamber by a rotatingbale being wrapped.
 4. The baler defined in claim 1 wherein each notchfirst side lies in a plane which forms an angle in the range ofapproximately 10-50° with a plane extending perpendicular to arotational axis of said roll.
 5. The baler defined in claim 1 whereinsaid at least one notch extends to an inner side of an associated one ofthe spreader rings; and said inner side defining an inwardly facinglead-in surface which is shaped such that the width of said spreaderring diminishes from a first location which leads said notch, whenconsidered relative to a direction of rotation of the roll during normaloperation, to a second location within said notch.
 6. The baler definedin claim 5 wherein said lead-in surface extends through an arc in arange from 45 to 170°.
 7. The baler defined in claim 1 wherein saidnotch includes a second side which makes an angle in a range of about50-90° with said first side.
 8. The baler defined in claim 1 wherein avertical support plate is located closely adjacent each outer end ofsaid roll; each spreader ring being spaced inwardly on said roll from anadjacent outer end thereof; and a shield extending downwardly in frontand extending around a lower portion of said spreader ring in spacedrelationship to the spreader ring and roll for defining an arcuate spaceabout said roll, with the shield having a rear end defining an openingthrough which net material may pass to said space on its way to thebaling chamber.
 9. The baler defined in claim 8 wherein a wiper elementis fixed to, and projects outwardly from an outer end location of eachspreader ring for sweeping said space, about the circumference of thatportion of the roll located outwardly of the adjacent spreader ring, soas to engage rogue pieces of crop located in said space and expel thesame behind said rear end of said shield.
 10. The baler defined in claim1 wherein said rotatable roll is a bale-forming belt support rollmounted for rotation about a horizontal transverse axis and said arcuateprofile is defined by a plurality of bale-forming belts supported inside-by-side relationship across a central portion of said support roll;a guide plate being positioned below each sidewall in the vicinity ofthe bale end engaging structure associated with the sidewall; said guideplate including a guide portion inclined across and in close proximityto the adjacent spreader ring, the guide portion being so located thatpieces of crop material carried by said at least one notch will bedirected onto an outer one of said bale-forming belts so as to becarried towards a second nip formed between said support roll andbale-forming belts.
 11. The baler defined in claim 1 wherein saidrotatable roll is a bale-forming belt support roll mounted for rotationabout a horizontal transverse axis and said arcuate profile is definedby a plurality of bale-forming belts supported in side-by-siderelationship across a central portion of said support roll; and eachspreader ring being provided with a vertical planar innermost surfacedisposed perpendicular to said axis, with said innermost surface beinglocated adjacent a path traveled by an outer one of said bale-formingbelts so that said innermost surface acts as a belt guide preventing thebelt from entering said at least one notch of said spreader ring.
 12. Aspreader ring for use in a net wrap mechanism for a large round baler,comprising: said ring having a circumferential first surface portion ofconstant diameter joined to a circumferential conical second surfaceportion which decreases in diameter in a direction axially away fromsaid first surface portion; a net engaging notch extending across saidfirst surface portion into said second surface portion; and said notchhaving a first side oriented with respect to a normal operatingdirection of rotation of said ring so as to have a leading end at oneside of said first surface portion and a trailing end at said conicalsecond surface portion, whereby said notch operates to engagelongitudinal strands of net material and move them away from saidleading end to said trailing end, and, thus onto said conical secondsurface portion.
 13. The spreader ring defined in claim 12 wherein saidfirst surface portion is joined to an end face of said spreader ringdefining at least one lead-in surface extending through an arc in therange of about 45° to 170° in length which, as considered relative to anintended working direction of rotation of said ring, has a trailing endlocated in said at least one notch, with the width of said first surfaceportion of said ring gradually diminishing in width from said leadingend to said trailing end of said lead-in surface.
 14. The spreader ringdefined in claim 12 wherein said spreader ring includes at least asecond notch spaced angularly from said at least one notch.
 15. Thespreader ring defined in claim 13 wherein said spreader ring includes asecond lead-in surface, similar to said at least one lead-in surface andhaving a trailing end located in said second notch.
 16. The spreaderring defined in claim 12 wherein said first side of said at least onenotch lies in a first plane which makes an angle in the range of about10° to 60° with a second plane disposed perpendicular to an axis ofrotation of said spreader ring.
 17. The spreader ring defined in claim16 wherein said at least one notch includes a second side which makes anangle in the range of about 50° to 100° with said first side.
 18. Thespreader ring defined in claim 13 wherein said at least one lead-insurface and said one side meet at said first face so as to define anedge which is inclined outwardly away from a radial line intersecting aninner end of said edge by an angle of at least 4°, with said radial lineleading said edge.
 19. The spreader ring defined in claim 12 whereinsaid conical surface makes an angle of at least 15° with a lineextending parallel to an axis of rotation of said ring.
 20. In a largeround baler including a bale-forming chamber defined in part by a baledischarge gate having opposite sidewalls spaced apart by a predetermineddistance for forming bales in said chamber, lower rear and lower frontbale-forming belt support rolls extending between and being rotatablysupported by said opposite sidewalls of said discharge gate with saidlower front roll defining a rear side of a crop inlet leading to saidchamber, a plurality of side-by-side disposed bale-forming belts havingrespective upright runs joined to respective fore-and-aft extending runsat locations engaging said lower rear roll with said fore-and-aftextending runs also engaging said lower front support roll, said balerbeing equipped with a net wrapping mechanism including a wrap materialguide surface underlying said lower rear roll and said fore-and-aftextending belt runs, the wrapping mechanism being operable forintroducing a length of net wrap material into said crop inlet along apath defined between said wrap material guide surface and saidfore-and-aft extending runs of said belts whereby the net material iscaptured between the bale-forming belts and a formed bale, each of saidlower rear and lower front support rolls having opposite end portionsextending outwardly beyond said opposite sidewalls of said dischargegate and defined by respective wrap material spreader devices, and saidwrapping mechanism being operable for dispensing net having a widthgreater than said predetermined width, the improvement comprising: ashield structure including an elongate shield support fixed to an innersurface of each sidewall so as to extend downwardly and forwardly abovesaid lower rear roll; shield means secured to each shield support andhaving an outer edge disposed against an adjacent one of said sidewallsand extending between a rear end, disposed adjacent an inner surface ofan adjacent one of said upright runs of said bale-forming belts, and aforward end disposed above an inner surface of an adjacent one of saidfore-and-aft extending runs of said bale-forming belts, whereby theshield means will intercept any pieces of crop material which may becarried downwardly by said adjacent ones of the upright belt runs. 21.The large round baler defined in claim 20 wherein said shield meanscomprises a pair of shields which are each constructed of flexiblematerial with said rear ends of said shields being respectively engagedwith said adjacent ones of said upright runs of bale-forming belts. 22.The large round baler defined in claim 21 wherein each shield isconstructed of a rectangular sheet of smooth surface belting.
 23. Thelarge round baler defined in claim 20 wherein said shield supports areeach in the form of an angle member having a first side secured againstan adjacent one of the sidewalls and a second side secured to saidshield means.
 24. In a large round baler including a bale-formingchamber defined in part by a bale discharge gate having oppositesidewalls spaced apart by a predetermined distance for forming bales insaid chamber, lower rear and lower front bale-forming belt support rollsextending between and being rotatably supported by said oppositesidewalls of said discharge gate with said lower front roll defining arear side of a crop inlet leading to said chamber, a plurality ofside-by-side disposed bale-forming belts having respective upright runsjoined to respective fore-and-aft extending runs at locations engagingsaid lower rear roll, with said fore-and-aft extending runs alsoengaging said lower front support roll, outer ones of said fore-and-aftextending runs being respectively spaced from said opposite side walls,said baler being equipped with a net wrapping mechanism including a wrapmaterial guide surface underlying said lower rear roll and saidfore-and-aft extending belt runs and being in a plane extending belowlower edges of said opposite sidewalls, the wrapping mechanism beingoperable for introducing a length of net wrap material into said cropinlet along a path defined between said wrap material guide surface andsaid fore-and-aft extending runs of said belts whereby the net materialis captured between the bale-forming belts and a formed bale, each ofsaid lower rear and lower front support rolls having opposite endportions extending outwardly beyond said opposite sidewalls of saiddischarge gate and defined by respective wrap material spreader devices,and said wrapping mechanism being operable for dispensing net having awidth greater than said predetermined width, the improvement comprising:an elongate flat filler strip extending fore-and-aft beside the loweredge of and being secured to each sidewall, each filler strip extendingacross a gap defined between the sidewall to which the filler strip isattached and the adjacent fore-and-aft extending belt run, with thefiller strip including an inner marginal portion in engagement with thetop of the last-mentioned belt run, whereby the filler strips act toinhibit stray or rogue crop pieces from passing through said gaps intothe feed path of the net material and also to prevent air currentsexisting between said sidewalls from interfering with the feeding of thenet material.
 25. The large round baler defined in claim 24 wherein atleast a portion of said inner marginal portion is folded onto itself soas to define a rounded inner edge that will not have a tendency todamage the adjacent fore-and-aft extending belt run.
 26. The large roundbaler defined in claim 24 wherein said filler strip has front and rearend sections which extend upwardly from opposite ends of a remainingstraight section of the filler strip so that said front and rear endsections are disposed for permitting the smooth entry and exit of thebelt run that is contacted by the filler strip.
 27. In a large roundbaler including a bale-forming chamber defined in part by a baledischarge gate having opposite sidewalls having respective inner planarsurfaces spaced apart by a predetermined distance for forming bales insaid chamber, lower rear and lower front bale-forming belt support rollsextending between and being rotatably supported by said oppositesidewalls of said discharge gate with said lower front roll defining arear side of a crop inlet leading to said chamber, a plurality ofside-by-side disposed bale-forming belts having respective upright runsjoined to respective fore-and-aft extending runs at locations engagingsaid lower rear roll, with said fore-and-aft extending runs alsoengaging said lower front support roll, outer ones of said fore-and-aftextending runs being respectively spaced from said opposite side walls,said baler being equipped with a net wrapping mechanism including a wrapmaterial guide surface underlying said lower rear roll and saidfore-and-aft extending belt runs and being in a plane extending belowlower edges of said opposite sidewalls, the wrapping mechanism beingoperable for introducing a length of net wrap material into said cropinlet along a path defined between said wrap material guide surface andsaid fore-and-aft extending runs of said belts whereby the net materialis captured between the bale-forming belts and a formed bale, each ofsaid lower rear and lower front support rolls having opposite endportions extending outwardly beyond said opposite sidewalls of saiddischarge gate and defined by respective wrap material spreader devices,and said wrapping mechanism being operable for dispensing net having awidth greater than said predetermined width, the improvement comprising:said net spreading devices at the opposite ends of said lower rear rolleach being in the form of a spiral ring having a cylindrical body with aspiral rib extending therealong and having a hand for moving netmaterial outwardly; said raised spiral rib having a leading end, asconsidered with the lower rear roll rotating counterclockwise whenviewed looking at a right-hand end thereof, which begins at an insidediameter of said cylindrical body and rises to a radial height, fromsaid cylindrical body, that is at least as high as the remainder of thespiral rib.
 28. The large round baler defined in claim 27 wherein saidnet material spreading devices at the opposite ends of said lower frontroll are in the form of spreader rings respectively located in bridgingrelationship to said opposite sidewalls; each spreader ring including atleast one notch formed in a radially outer surface of, and extendingoutwardly from an inner surface of, said spreader ring; each spreaderring notch including a trailing side, as considered in the direction ofrotation of said lower front roll, that is angled for engaginglongitudinal strands of outer marginal portions of said net material ator inside said planar inner surface of the adjacent sidewall and formoving these strands outwardly of said inner surface; said spreaderspirals at the opposite ends of said lower rear roll being respectivelyspaced outwardly relative to said spreader rings, whereby longitudinalstrands of net material engaged by said spiral rings will be angledinwardly towards said spreader rings to thereby be in a more favorableangle for being engaged by said notches.
 29. The large round balerdefined in claim 28 wherein said inner surface of each of said spreaderrings is provided with a lead-in surface which is shaped such that thewidth of said spreader ring diminishes from a first location which leadssaid notch, when considered relative to a direction of rotation of saidlower front roll during normal operation, to a second location withinsaid notch.
 30. The large round baler defined in claim 29 wherein eachspreader ring includes at least a second notch spaced angularly fromsaid one notch; and a second lead-in surface, similar to that associatedwith said one notch, being associated with said second notch.
 31. Thelarge round baler defined in claim 28 wherein the outside diameter ofsaid spreader spirals is so chosen that the peripheral speed of saidspreader spirals is greater than a linear speed of said length of netmaterial, whereby the spreader spirals aggressively act to spread thelength of net material to its full width.
 32. In a large round balerincluding a bale-forming chamber defined in part by a bale dischargegate having opposite sidewalls having respective inner planar surfacesspaced apart by a predetermined distance for forming bales in saidchamber, lower rear and lower front bale-forming belt support rollsextending between and being rotatably supported by said oppositesidewalls of said discharge gate with said lower front roll defining arear side of a crop inlet leading to said chamber, a plurality ofside-by-side disposed bale-forming belts having respective upright runsjoined to respective fore-and-aft extending runs at locations engagingsaid lower rear roll, with said fore-and-aft extending runs alsoengaging said lower front support roll, outer ones of said fore-and-aftextending runs being respectively spaced from said opposite side walls,said baler being equipped with a net wrapping mechanism including a wrapmaterial guide surface underlying said lower rear roll and saidfore-and-aft extending belt runs and being in a plane extending belowlower edges of said opposite sidewalls, the wrapping mechanism beingoperable for introducing a length of net wrap material into said cropinlet along a path defined between said wrap material guide surface andsaid fore-and-aft extending runs of said belts whereby the net materialis captured between the bale-forming belts and a formed bale, each ofsaid lower rear and lower front support rolls having opposite endportions extending outwardly beyond said opposite sidewalls of saiddischarge gate and defined by respective net wrap material spreaderdevices, and said wrapping mechanism being operable for dispensing nethaving a width greater than said predetermined width, the improvementcomprising: said lower front roll having a cylindrical center portionbetween said spreader devices at the opposite ends of said lower frontroll; and at least a pair of right- and left-hand spiral membersrespectively fixed to, and extending inwardly along said cylindricalcenter portion from said net wrap material spreader devices, wherebysaid spiral members act to move crop material away from said spreaderdevices and to shake said fore-and-aft extending belt runs so as tocause crop material carried by said runs to fall through gaps betweenadjacent ones of said fore-and-aft extending belt runs.
 33. The largeround baler defined in claim 32 and further including a roll scraperextending transversely adjacent a rear location of said central portionof said lower front roll; said roll scraper including a leg having aforward end disposed adjacent a path traced by respective radially outersurfaces of said spiral members whereby said leg cooperates with saidspiral members to reduce the crop material into smaller pieces so thatit can more easily escape through said gaps between adjacentfore-and-aft extending belt runs.
 34. The large round baler defined inclaim 33 wherein said scraper leg is inclined upwardly and forwardly sothat crop materials carried by said lower front roll will be strippedoff by, and slide down, said leg of said scraper.
 35. The large roundbaler defined in claim 34 wherein said scraper is in the form of anangle iron with said leg meeting with a second leg that is angleddownwardly and forwardly to a location spaced from said lower front rollso that crop material which passes below said leg enters a nip formedbetween said lower front roll and said fore-and-aft extending belt runsand is recirculated and subjected to further reducing action betweensaid spiral members and said scraper leg.
 36. In a large round balerincluding an expansible baling chamber defined in part by a pair oftransversely spaced discharge gate sidewalls, a plurality ofside-by-side mounted bale-forming belts supported in part by a lowerrear gate roll and a lower front gate roll, each gate roll havingopposite ends respectively defined by right- and left-hand net wrapmaterial spreading devices which are at least partially located outboardof said pair of sidewalls, said bale-forming belts and lower front rolldefining a nip where the belts pass around a lower rear portion of saidlower front roll, a net wrap material dispenser mounted on the lowerrear of said discharge gate and being adapted for dispensing netmaterial that is wider that the distance between said pair of sidewalls,a net material support structure located beneath said discharge gate andextending from said lower rear to said lower front roll, and belt guideelements including a central set of elements projecting downwardlybetween all except for respective outer pairs of said bale-forming beltsin a location adjacent said nip, the improvement, comprising: said beltguide elements further including first and second belt guide elementsrespectively located adjacent said pair of sidewalls and projectingupwardly beside an adjacent one of said bale-forming belts, whereby netmaterial extending into said nip from said dispenser may be spread bythe net wrap material spreading devices at the opposite ends of saidlower front roll without being hindered by said outer pair of belt guideelements.
 37. The large round baler defined in claim 36 wherein said netmaterial support structure includes a cross member located just behindsaid lower front gate roll; and said outer belt guide elements beingfixed to said cross member.
 38. The large round baler defined in claim37 wherein said cross member is located directly below said central setof belt guide elements and spaced therefrom a distance less than athickness dimension of said bale-forming belts, whereby said baleforming belts are prevented from moving sideways beneath said centralbelt guide elements.
 39. The large round baler defined in claim 37wherein said cross member is in the form of a cylindrical member andsaid outer belt guide elements each being in the form of a relativelythick washer received on said cylindrical rod.
 40. The large round balerdefined in claim 37 wherein a fore-and-aft extending filler plate ismounted to each sidewall and is engagement with an upper surface of theadjacent bale-forming belt; and each filler plate being located above arespective one of said outer belt guide elements by a distance less thana thickness dimension of said bale-forming belts, whereby said adjacentbale-forming belts are prevented from moving sideways above said outerbelt guide elements.
 41. The large round baler defined in claim 36wherein a crop stripper is located behind said lower front gate roll andincludes a flat member having a forward end disposed in close proximityto said lower front gate roll; and said inner belt guide elements beingmounted to said crop stripper.
 42. The large round baler defined inclaim 41 wherein said crop stripper is in the form of an angle memberwith said flat member is one leg of said angle member; said angle memberhaving a second leg having a bottom surface to which said inner beltguide elements are secured.
 43. A net spreading device, adapted for usewith a large round baler equipped with a net wrapping apparatus capableof dispensing net having a width greater than a distance betweenopposite sidewalls of a bale-forming chamber of said baler, comprising:a spiral ring having a cylindrical body; a spiral rib having a majorportion projecting radially from and extending about said cylindricalbody; and said spiral rib having a leading end, as considered relativeto a normal direction of rotation of said spiral ring during use,located at an inner diameter of said cylindrical body and joined to saidmajor portion, whereby said rib is shaped for lifting longitudinal netstrands radially from an inside diameter of said cylindrical body to thetop of said major portion of said rib.
 44. The net spreading devicedefined in claim 43 wherein said cylindrical body has an end surfacehaving a major portion located in a vertical plane extendingperpendicular to an axis of rotation of said spiral ring and a minorportion, including said leading end of said spiral, spaced from saidvertical plane so as to define the widest portion of said spiral ring.45. The net spreading device defined in claim 44 wherein said leadingend blends into a notch formed in an outer surface area of saidcylindrical body so as to aid in moving longitudinal net strands alongsaid cylindrical body in an axial direction away from said leading end.